Friday, September 05, 2008

Sony will unveil a new DSLR camera on Wednesday September 10th, according to a PCWorld/MACWorld report. Likely to be the 24.8 megapixel, full-frame professional DSLR camera that was shown in prototype form at PMA back in February (pictured), the new Alpha camera will be announced at a Sony event in Tokyo.

Website: PCWorld - Sony, Panasonic to Unveil New Digital SLRs Next Week

Update! A series of leaked magazine adverts have revealed the name and some of the key specs of the new Sony DSLR.

It will be called the A900 (no surprise there), and will feature: 24.6 megapixel Full Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor, Dual BIONZ Image Processing Engine, Intelligent Preview, 100% Viewfinder, 0.74x Magnification, 3.0”, 921K-out Hybrid LCD, 9-point Centre Dual-cross AF (with f2.8 sensor and wide-area 10-point assist), 5 fps Continuous Shooting, SteadyShot INSIDE

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The Canon Inc and Europe websites are both running teaser adverts for a new DSLR camera. The “Destined Evolution” campaign gives little away, other than the rather cryptic message “The EOS story continues...See the future of photography...Stay tuned” and what looks like a DSLR without a pop-up flash…

Website: Canon Inc DSLR Advert

Website: Canon Europe DSLR Advert

Picasa 3 is free desktop software for Windows that helps you organize, print, and creatively edit your photos. New features in Picasa 3 include a drag-and-drop photo-collage tool, retouching brush, slideshow movie maker, auto red-eye removal, smart auto-cropping, and a photo viewer integrated into Windows. Picasa 3.0 is available for free download at http://picasa.google.com/ . Google have also updated Picasa Web Albums, its free online photo-sharing site.

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Sharpener Pro 3 now features Nik Software’s patented U Point technology for selectively sharpening objects. U Point powered Control Points are easy to use and offer precise control over sharpening intensity without the need to create complicated selections and layer masks. Other new features in Sharpener Pro 3 include creative sharpening tools, soft-proofing and compatibility with Adobe Photoshop’s Smart Objects. Sharpener Pro 3.0 will be available in September for $199.95.

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PhotoFrame 4 from onOne Software now supports Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. PhotoFrame 4 adds details to photos like unique edge effects, frames, borders, adornments and texture overlays. PhotoFrame 4 delivers hundreds of new frames, including exclusive content from professional wedding photographers Kevin Kubota and Vicki Taufer. Other new features include a new easy-to-use frame library with new library management options, updated user-interface, cutting-edge new content, and new output options for added user control. PhotoFrame 4 comes in two variations – a Professional Edition and a Standard Edition and are available for $259.95 and $159.95 respectively.

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Canon has announced plans to construct new camera lens production facilities in Taiwan. The continued growth of the global digital SLR camera market has led to a rapidly increasing demand for interchangeable lenses. Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2008 with production expected to commence in July 2009.

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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D For Dummies is a new book that targets first-time and novice users. “In a recent class I taught, none of the students with DSLRs understood even basic concepts such as aperture and shutter speed,” commented author Julie King. It explains all the features of the EOS Digital Rebel, as well as how handle common tasks like getting images onto a PC and printing. Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D For Dummies is available now for $29.99.

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Akvis Enhancer 9.5 image enhancement software helps you improve the detail in your photos. The latest version now supports EXIF data, ensuring that the additional camera information does not get lost or altered. Akvis Enhancer 9.5 is available either as a standalone application or a plug-in to a photo editor. AKVIS Enhancer Plugin costs $69 USD, and Enhancer Standalone with HDRI support costs $81.

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Thursday, September 04, 2008

Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery is a Windows/Mac compatible software program that recovers lost, deleted and formatted digital pictures from removable media. Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery works with any type of digital card reader or storage media that can mount as a volume. It supports the recovery of 33 different file types, including RAW files from all the major camera manufacturers and some video and music formats too. With a price tag of $39 / €31 + VAT, we find out if Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery is the answer in the event of a photo disaster…

Website: Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery Review

Panasonic will unveil a new DSLR camera on Friday September 12th, according to a NetworkWorld report. Successor to the Panasonic DMC-L10 (pictured), a 10.1 megapixel DSLR camera, the third Panasonic DSLR will apparently “offer unique features to set a new trend in digital SLR photography”. The new Lumix camera will be announced at a Panasonic event in Tokyo.

Website: NetworkWorld - Panasonic to unveil new digital SLR next week